Emergency stopping device for cars.



W. H. ALLEN.

EMERGENCY STOPPING DEVICE FOR OARS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 23. 1910.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

Attorney W TNESSES UNITE WILLIAM H. ALLEN, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEWYORK.

EMERGENCY STOPPING DEVICE FOR CARS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM H. ALLEN, of Long Island City, in thecounty of Queens and in the State of New York, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Emergency Stopping Devices for Cars, anddo hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

Provided with an ordinary brake equipment, a carfor example, a trolleyear especially when the rails are slippery, can be stopped withdi'tliculty within any reasonable limit when the brakes are applied withthe car running at its normal speed, because of the locking of thewheels by the brake shoes, which results in the sliding or skidding ofthe wheels on the rails. Under slippery conditions, with the ordinaryequipment, the procedure is to release the brakes when the wheels arelocked to allow the wheels to rotate, and then again apply the brakes,these operations being repeated until the car has been brought to astop. On greasy rails, the stop may be made in one hundred feet, orpossibly two hundred feet or more may be required, the distance withinwhich the stop is effected being a matter due in part to luck or chanceand the judgment of the motor-man. At times there are emergenciesrequiring practically instantaneous stoppage of the car when running atfull speed.

The object of my invention is to render possible the prompt stoppage ofa car when running at full speed, so that if necessary the stop may bemade in a few feet, as, for example, six feet, regardless of thecondition of the rails, and to do this without any alteration in theordinary brake equipment of the car, and to these ends and others, alsoof importance, hereinafter mentioned, my invention consists in themechanism constructed substantially as hereinafter specified andclaimed.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cartruck and enough of the car to illustrate an embodiment of my invention,the full lines showing the positions of the parts for stopping the carand the dotted lines showing the positions of the parts under normalrunning conditions. Fig. 2 a detail view of portion of the op-Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23, 1910.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

Serial No. 551,192.

crating device; and Fig. 3 a cross section of a track rail which I mayuse.

To illustrate an embodiment of my invention, I show in the drawings acar truck and a portion of a car, 10 denoting the truck frame 11, twoaxles mounted at opposite ends of the frame, and 12 one of the wheels oneach of the axles. A brake shoe 13 of an ordinary brake mechanism isshown for each wheel.

A fundamental idea or characteristic of my invention is the preventionof the stoppage of the revolution of the car wheels so long as theonward movement of the car eontinues, and in etl'ectuating this idea, Iprovide means for compelling the rotation of the car wheels so long asany onward movement of a car continues.

As shown in the drawing as an embodiment of my invention, l gear the carwheels with a rack bar 14, which preferably is applied at one side ofone of the track rails 15, the side being that opposite the wheeltreadengaging surface of the rail. Rotatably connected with the carwheel 12, either by being bolted to the side of the wheel, or by beingkeyed to the wheel axle, is a spur gear 16. Mounted on a swinging frame17, hung at its top to a bracket or hanger 1S bolted to the bottom ofthe car, is a train composed of two int-ern'ieshing spur gears 19 and20, which by the swinging of the frame may, respectively, be moved intoand out of mesh with the rack bar l t and the gear 16. It will be seenthat when the gear 19 is in mesh with the rack bar 14, onward movementof the car through the gears 19, 20 and 16 will compel the car wheel torotate and thus prevent any sliding or skidding of the wheel on therail, so that with the brake shoe applied to the car wheel, the frictionof wheel and shoe will result in stopping the rotation of the wheel, andeffect the stopping of the car. It will be understood that when theframe 17 is moved to place the gear 19 into mesh with the rack bar 14;,the brakes are applied in the usual way.

Pivotally connected at one end to the swinging frame 1.7 is a link 21,which at its other end is pivolally connected to a rocking arm or lever22 hung to a bracket or hanger 23 bolted to the floor of the car, andconnected to the arm or lever 22 is a link 24 in the form of a bar longenough to reach from the lever 22 for the wheel-controlling mechanism atone end of the truck to the similar lever 22 of the wheel-con trollingmechanism at the other end of the truck, and which link 24 is connectedto a lever 25 pivoted intermediate its ends to a suitable support on thecar frame. From one end of the lever or beam 25, a rod 26 runs towardone end of the car, and from the other end of said lever or beam 25, arod 27 runs to the other end of the car, and

4 each rod is connected by a short chain 28 to an arm 29 of a treadle 30pivoted to the respective platforms of the car. Thus, by depressing thetreadle 30 at either end of the car, the beam 25 will be rocked in thedirection required to throw the gears 19 and 20 into mesh with the rackbar 14: and the wheel 16, and in order to lock the gears in thisposition the treadle 80 has a ratchet tooth sector 31 with which alockin dog or pawl 32 engages. When the pawl 32 is released ordisengaged from the ratchet tooth of the treadle, the gears 19 and 20may be moved out of their meshing position, and to produce suchmovement, I preferably employ one or more coil springs 33 that areattached at one end to the beam 25, and at the other end to the floor ofthe car. A convenient means for lifting the dog 82 out of engagementwith the ratchet teeth of the treadle, may consist of a wire or cord 3 Lwhich at one end is attached to the pawl, and at the other end isattached to the air handle, so that simultaneously with the release ofthe brakes by the operation of the air handle, the disengagement of thegears 19 and 20 from the rack bar let and the wheel 16 will take place.

Among the other advantages and uses of my invention are the avoidance offlat wheels due to sliding or skidding; the pre vention of spinning ofthe wheels on slippery rails or running away of the motor when startingthe car, and avoiding the necessity for theuse of sand on the rails; andas aiding the propulsion of the car through snow drifts.

The rack bar may be separately made and bolted, or otherwise fastened tothe ordinary rail, or the rails when originally made at the rolling millmay have the teeth formed therein.

It will be seen that the mechanism that is required to carry myinvention into practice is extremely simple, and its operation is easilyperformed.

It will be understood that other forms of parts and devices than thoseillustrated and described herein may be utilized for the embodiment ofmy invention, and I therefore do not restrict the scope of my protectionto the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein shown anddescribed; nor do I restrict myself to the application of my inventionto any particular type of car.

In the construction shown in the drawings, a rack bar is used alongsideeach rail, but, of course, this is not necessary, for by placing theswinging gears 19 and 20 on the same side of both trucks, a single rackbar may be used. lVhere there are two trucks, the operatin lever 22 andthe rods 21 will be duplicated and one set or system operated from oneend of the car by a treadle and the other system or set from the otherend of the car, so as to provide for turning the car around.

In some cases, in order to use a single rack bar, the swinging gears 19and 20 may be duplicated on both sides, so that in whichever directionthe car is turned, it will have a set of gears to mesh with said rack.Of course, in such case, one set of the gears would be idle, thoughlowered.

What I claim is- 1. As an improvement in car-controlling mechanism, thecombination of a car wheel, a brake device therefor, and means forgearing said wheel with a rack on the road bed to rotate said wheel.

2. As an improvement in car-controlling mechanism, the combination of acar wheel, a brake device therefor, and means for gearing said wheelwith a rack on the road bed to rotate said wheel, and such a rack.

3. As an improvement in car-controlling mechanism, the combination of arail-engaging car wheel, a brake device therefor, a movably supportedgear wheel, and means to connect said gear wheel and said car wheel, andsaid gear wheel and a stationary rack acting to rotate said gear wheel.

4. In a car-controlling mechanism, the combination of a car-driving andsupporting wheel, a brake device therefor, a rack bar on the road bed, agear movably mounted so as to be movable into and out of mesh with saidrack bar, and means for connecting said gear with said wheel, said rackbar when in mesh with the gear wheel acting to revolve said wheel.

5. As an improvement in car-controlling means, the combination of a carwheel, a brake device therefor, a rack mounted on the road bed, a gearwheel movable into and out of mesh with said rack, means to connect saidgear wheel and said car wheel, a treadle, and connections between saidtreadle and said movable gear, said rack bar when in mesh with the gearwheel acting to revolve said wheel.

6. As an improvement in car-controlling mechanism, the combination of atruck having wheels at opposite ends, a brake device for each Wheel, arack bar mounted on the road bed, gearing adapted to connect each 1 havehereunto set my hand February 21st, wheel and saicllrack bar, a swingingframe 1910. S11 ortin saic 'earin a connection betw n saiil swinging fianie whereby they VILLIAM ALLEN 5 may be simultaneously moved, and anoper- \Vitncsscs:

ating mechanism acting on said connection. ANtriloNy M. MONA,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing HARRY F. Sum.

